Outdoor Wednesday - Walk With Me

Weekend before last the temperature (with the heat index) at Clearwater Beach was 110 degrees F. Even for a beach gal like me that is just too darn hot! Summers in Florida you can usually find me in the hut sipping on sweet tea and dreaming of how nice it will be when late Fall arrives. In Florida the leaves don't turn beautiful shades of red and orange as they do in many places, but we know when Fall has arrived when we can once again open the windows.

We rarely have a reprieve from the heat until then — it doesn't cool off in the evenings. No kidding, when I wake up in the mornings at about 5am, the first thing I have to do is let the dog out in the yard and I swear, it's like opening your oven door. Now the temps we had were high, even for us, so when it felt like the thermometer had dropped a bit this past Sunday evening I ask my sis if she wanted to go for a swim. We squeezed into our suits and headed for the beach.

The Gulf water actually felt cool and for some reason we had a really nice breeze going on and waves. Yes, waves! Now don't get me wrong, they were nothing that any surfer was going to get excited about, but for me they were wonderful. Sis doesn't like any waves, so I spent about an hour in the water and she stayed on the shore.

Upon rising the next morning I thought I had better head down for a walk on the beach while the weather was being cooperative and take some pictures for Outdoor Wednesday. So, kick off your shoes and join me!

This morning I thought I would drive a couple of miles from my usual spot to a little town named Indian Rocks Beach. This is where we had our home before moving inland a couple of miles and I haven't been for a couple of months.

The water looked so inviting, but since I had my camera with me, there would be no swimming this morning. By the time I reached my destination it was already about 7:30am and the sun was high in the sky.

Just look at the wave action we were getting {giggling}. Really though, unless there is a storm coming, this is high for us.


These beautiful birds are Black Skimmers and this is the time of year they are nesting at our local beaches. They nest in large colonies, so I was excited to see these two out skimming for breakfast. They nest right in the sand, so to protect the eggs their areas are roped off to the public. I didn't spot any nesting sites, but I'm sure they are massing down South a few miles at the Suncoast Bird Sanctuary. I'll drive over there in a few days and check it out.

The next group I come across are White Ibis. They use their long, downcurved bills to probe the wet sand for crustacceans. These birds also nest in large colonies and are born with dark feathers, which turn completely white in adulthood.

Here's a closer shot, you can see that the birds here are used to sharing the beach with people and are not easily frightened away. As long as you walk slowly, they will allow you to get close enough for a good shot.


Here I have all my ducks, I mean birds in a row. I love seeing the birds and the people wading in the water, waiting to see what the day will bring.

This large photo is of a Great Egret and the inset is a Snowy Egret. Know how to tell the difference? The Great Egret has a yellow bill and black feet, the Snowy Egret has a black bill and yellow feet! They are both members of the Heron family with the Snowy Egret growing to about two feet tall and the Great Egret to about three feet. Not pictured here is the Great White Heron and you can tell the difference from the egrets by again checking bills and feet — a Great White Heron has a yellow bill, yellow legs and yellow feet. (I thought it was really sweet the the Snowy Egret raised its leg so you could see the yellow foot.) Sorry, I didn't get a closer shot, but if you click on the picture you will see a larger version.


Next is the Great Blue Heron, they are probably the least afraid of humans of all our bird species and are usually waiting for the local fishermen to give them the "little" ones.


The birds weren't the only ones at the beach this morning searching for food.


Heading back I see that the Railroad Vine is in bloom. For all those gardeners out there you will notice that they are in the Morning Glory Family. Aren't they beautiful growing in the sand?
Don't you just love sea oats, gracefully blowing with the wind, bowing their heads to the sea and all the while protecting our shores from storms. There is a huge fine if you get caught cutting sea oats here!


My last look before heading off the beach showed these two beach umbrellas. I knew it was time to relinquish the beach to the sun-worshipers and the little children building sandcastles.

Next I headed across the street to the Indian Rocks Beach Nature Preserve, but I'm going to save that for next week's post. Stay tuned.

FYI, I'm getting into a nice blogging groove these days and I'm posting more, so stop back when you have the time and check out my Monday post of vintage beach photos — one is from 1922 and the other is a theatrical poster from 1898. I'm going to be doing this every Monday. Yesterdays post is more on beach huts, cabanas, and tents that Maya started on her two lovely blogs. Wait until you see these Jersey Shore tents, you won't believe it!

Finally, I love visiting all y'all on Outdoor Wednesdays and I don't get to respond to your questions and comments until later that day or the next morning. Last week I decided to update my posting with Reflections on Outdoor Wednesday and I'm sure I'll be doing that this week also. If your interested you can come back later this week and check it out and read last weeks here. A number of you are mentioned and Rose posted a heartfelt poem in her comment that fit perfectly, so I posted it in the update. If you saw something you think I would like to know about, please let me know in the comment section. There are so many participants I can't get to everyone and I know many of you are the same way, but I'm always afraid I'll miss something spectacular!

Now wash the sand off your feet, put your shoes back on and head on over to Susan's at A Southern Daydreamer for more Outdoor Wednesday posts!